I've always thought that Lord Of The Rings was a direct parallel of World War 2. Tolkien denied it but during that War was when he was writing it I believe. Bombs were falling on his London and the Dark Lord, if ever there was one, was in Berlin. Orcs were running all over Europe too. The Nazgul were abroad.

Often I did school folk shows for kids raised during the Viet Nam era, kids whose parents had taught them ALL war was to be avoided at all costs. They'd all read L.O.T.R. I used to show them that there just might be a war that could be, pragmatically and morally, or at least phiolosophically, correct (even if not spiritually good) to participate in. I'd equate those two wars and then sing the "I Hate War And So Does Elanore--and we won't be safe 'til everyone is dead..." song (tune: "Jesse James") and then do "Ruben James" and "Round and Round Hitler's Grave" (tune: "Old Joe Clark") to show how someone (the Almanac Singers) could change their minds in different circumstances when presented with a new reality.

Art Thieme